§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information is available from the data collected in connection with(a) the integrated administration and control system and premium claims, (b) the annual farm census and (c) the farm business survey of the number and proportions of (1) all hill and upland livestock farms and (2) hill and upland livestock farms drawing over two thirds of their standard gross margins from sheep, cattle or cattle and sheep, falling into (i) four to 11, (ii) 12 to 15, (iii) 16 to 28, (iv) 29 to 39, (v) 40 to 69, (vi) 70 to 98, (vii) 99 to 199 and (viii) 200 and over British size units; and if she will provide a breakdown of the average net income according to all sources available to the Ministry of farms of each of categories (1) and (2) in each size band;
(2) what is the average size of (a) all hill and upland livestock farms and (b) all upland hill and livestock farms of four British livestock size units and over, according to (i) the integrated administration and control system and premium claims, (ii) the annual farm census and (iii) the farm business survey.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 24 February 1994]: The current system of farm size classification uses economic size units based on 1988 standard gross margins rather than British size units which were based on 1980 SGMs. The readily available information from the agricultural census and the farm business survey, based on ESUs, is given in the table. Economic size and type of farm are not recorded on the forms used for IACS or hill livestock compensatory allowance claims. Properly weighted estimates of net farm income for the non-standard farm type covered by columns (1) to (3) of the table cannot be provided without disproportionate costs.
747W(a) The relationship between ESUs and BSUs is not straightforward. However, averaged over all farm enterprises in England two ESU are approximately equal to one BSU.
(b) Breeding and others.
(c) Farms mainly or wholly in the LFA with more than two thirds of their total SCM in cattle and sheep except farms classified as dairy.